Chelsea boss Mourinho: Hazard performance best I've ever seen

Hazard was the difference between the sides, setting up the opening goal and then scoring twice in an end-to-end encounter at the Stadium of Light which helped the second-placed Blues maintain the pressure on leaders Arsenal.

Asked how he rated Hazard's individual display, Mourinho said: "The best. With me, the best.

"Maybe last season, he did something similar or even better, but with me, the best.

"The talent, we know, but the ambition from the first to the last minutes for me, it was the first time because he has a great talent, but sometimes he does incredible things and after that, he disappears from the game.

"Today, he was fantastic from the first minute, getting the ball, taking on defenders, shooting. Sometimes he creates a lot, but doesn't shoot; today the performance was fantastic.

"He, [Juan] Mata and Willian, all of them, they were creative, they were dynamic, they gave to the team what we need in terms of creation in the last phase of the game."